Category: Thame news

PUB-goers popping into The Thatch and The James Figg in Thame are being asked to put their change from buying a round – or any cash they can spare – towards Herds for Change, a project aimed at delivering vital and sustainable change in the Mara, Kenya.

The pubs have declared this week Peach Foundation Cow Week, when The Richard Onslow and its sister pubs owned by Peach Pub Company are aiming to raise £250, or more, each to buy a cow for the Maasai community in Kenya as part of Herds for Change, the latest fundraising campaign carried out by its charitable arm, The Peach Foundation.

The goal is to raise £130,000 to buy a breeding herd of eight pedigree bulls and 400 cows for the Enonkishu community in the Mara. The profits will be ploughed back into the community and used to support the livelihoods of local families.

Each cow costs £250 and regulars and new faces alike coming to The Thatch and The James Figg are being asked to donate their change or whatever they can to help raise the money – there’s a special cow money box on the bar for collecting donations.

“This is an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of people living in the Maasai community in the Mara, Kenya, a part of the world where the ecosystem has become increasingly fragile,” said Frazer Sutherland, Peach Partner. “Global warming, lifestyle changes and the mismanagement of land all pose a serious threat to the wildlife and the communities who live in the Maasai.

“Over the years here at Peach we have played a part in supporting the Maasai tribe, the wildlife and the community’s traditional way of life, helping to create a hippo sanctuary and plant a forest. Now, we are moving onto the next important chapter in the bid to safeguard the long-term future of the Mara and its people. We are creating the Peach Herd and raising money to buy cows for the Maasai community, and we want Thame to be able to provide at least one, if not two cows!

“So we’re asking everyone who pays us a visit over the next couple of weeks to let us hang onto their change for the cause or put whatever they can into the cow money box on the bar so we can make Herds for Change a big success and make our mark in the Mara.”

After collecting money to buy the herd, a team from Peach and some of its suppliers will be travelling out to Kenya to buy the cattle and deliver them to the Enonkishu community on September 9. Frazer will be among them.

To make a donation, pop into The Thatch or The James Figg or go online to: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/herdsforchange/

To find out more about Herds for Change and why the Enonkishu community needs help, please take a look at the short video here: Peach Herd 2017 Introduction Video 6 mins YouTube

TIME is running out for community groups and parish councils in South Oxfordshire to apply for the last round of funding from the district council for 2017/18.

There’s £107,000 available to help fund a variety of community facilities and improvements like building new skate parks or play areas, upgrading sports pavilions, or purchasing life-saving defibrillators.

South Oxfordshire District Council has already awarded £423,000 to lots of worthy causes this year, including to support improvements at five play areas, a replacement pavilion in Ewelme, and a much-needed roof replacement at Wallingford Corn Exchange.

The deadline for this round of funding is 4pm on Wednesday, September 6, meaning that applications need to be submitted as soon as possible.

Cllr Elizabeth Gillespie, Cabinet Member for Grants at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “If you have a community project costing more than £2,000 and need some funding to see it take place, make sure you submit your application before the deadline.

“We can help fund a wide variety of projects to benefit the whole community, such as revamping a village hall, buying new equipment, or even building a brand new sports pavilion.”

To find out more about the grants on offer and to apply visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/grants. For further information contact the grants team at grants@southandvale.gov.uk or on 01235 422405.

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision in Thame. The incident took place on the A4129 Tythrop Way in Thame yesterday (28/8) near the skate park at about 4.35pm.

A black Kawasaki ZX series motorcycle, ridden by an 18-year-old man, is believed to have collided with a lamppost.

He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

Investigating officer Sergeant Julie Caulfield, of the Joint Operations Unit for Roads Policing, based at Bicester Howes Lane, said: “If anyone saw this incident, or has any information relating to it, I would ask them to get in touch.

“I am particularly keen to speak to anyone who was at the skate park at the time as they could have vital information.

“Anyone with any details should call the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number on 101.”

If you have any information relating to this case, please call 101 quoting reference ‘977 (28/8)’, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.

A young motor cyclist is reported to have lost his life in a road traffic collision in Thame.

The tragedy occurred in the early evening of yesterday, Monday, August 28, close to Thame Skate Park.

Members of the public were quickly on the scene and did all they could for the casualty, including CPR, before the emergency services, including the Air Ambulance, arrived very soon afterwards.

The name of the victim is being with held out of respect for the family involved.

EVEN though there have been huge changes to examination courses and assessment, students at Lord Williams’s School in Thame, have again achieved highly in their GCSE examinations with 73% of students achieving five or more higher grades (A*-C/9-4) including English and Mathematics.

These results are slightly down on last year, 2016, when 76% of students achieved five or more A-C grades – the best ever results for Lord Williams’s school. This year’s results reflect the national picture with Teachers’ leaders stating that because of the changes, the results for this year cannot fairly be compared. SEE LINK

Headteacher, David Wybron paid tribute to this year’s cohort: “Following on from last year’s record breaking results, these results are again outstanding. The examinations are now harder and the changes imposed on schools have been introduced very hastily. These are new examinations and there aren’t any benchmarks. However, what we can say is, that the overall results are very impressive and so many of our students have achieved outstanding results. I would like to pay tribute to our students for their hard work on securing such impressive results and to their teachers and support staff, who have prepared them so well.”

The following students gained at least seven passes at grade A* or A (new levels 9, 8 and 7):

Elizabeth Archer, Emily Baillie, Adam Barlow-Heal, Helena Bernstein, Lucy Biswell, Olivia Black, Sam Black, Niamh Bourke, Peter Brightling, Ben Caiger, Ben Cross, Jonathan Dadson, Rachel Dickinson, Frances Dixon, Oliver Dudley-Heidkamp, Connor Fitzgerald, Catherine Fotherby, Josephine Golds, Remy Goodwin, Jazzy Green, Emma Gutteridge, Anna Harper, Evie Hughes, Thomas Ingell, Megan Keen, Stefania Lee, Harvey Lord, Ellen Ludlow, Katie McRobert, Rhys Minchin, Lucy Nicholls, Jasmine O’Reilly, Charlotte Porat, Charlie Porter, Rory Pridmore, Alfie Richards, Tommy Richards, Heidi Scholey, Bobby Sluka, Max Spokes, Hattie Ward, Charlotte Watson, Violet Weston and Josh Wright.

How do the 2017 grades compare to previous grading?

Grades 9, 8 and 7 are broadly equivalent to an A* and an A.

Grades 6, 5 and 4 are in line with B and C grades.

A grade 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade.

A 3 would be broadly similar to a D grade, with 2 and 1 taking in grades E, F and G.

There is still a U – ungraded – mark.

Fewer grade 9s will be awarded than A*s, meaning it’ll be harder to get top marks.

TERRY Hankins! At Thame Market’s Community Day yesterday, Terry was presented with a silver plate to celebrate over 35 years as a trader at Thame Market, making him the longest serving trader at Thame’s weekly Tuesday charter market. Terry was presented with the award next to his fruit and vegetable stall by Mike Broun, the Chairman of the Thame Market Traders Co-Operative, and the Mayor of Thame, Cllr Tom Wyse.

The annual, Community Market Day once again proved very popular with local families and visitors, with several local organisations and charities manning stalls and selling everything from plant pots and rainbow merchandise to knitted clothing and toys, all in aid of great causes.

There was plenty for the younger visitors to the market to enjoy, including face painting, balloon modelling, tombolas, live music and a massive bouncy slide! Local MP John Howell attended and chatted to some of the local organisations. Thame Market Trader and secretary of the Market Trader’s Co-Operative, Chris Hurdman, said: “Tuesday’s was the most successful market day ever and Thame was buzzing! He also thanked the Town Council for their support with the event.

To view more images, go to www.facebook.com/ThameMarketTraders where you can also stay up to date with Thame’s weekly charter market.